Chapter 12
2024 - Note that the Chronological Bible inserts the book of Job between Genesis 11 and 12.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." [Gen 12:2-3 ESV]
This is the first time God makes a recorded promise to Abram. Nothing about land yet, just a promise of blessing to both Abram and to all the earth through him.
Abram told by God to leave his home and go to where God would send him. Not a lot of background on his life before then, nor any indication of why he was chosen of all others. He was already 75 when he left. Lot, Abram's nephew, went with him.
2021 - We know that Abram's father Terah dies in Haran. It is not obvious from vss 2,3 whether Abram left before or after Terah died. It does seem that there were quite a few besides those specifically named in Chapter 11 who were with them. And Abram is told to leave his father with those. Servants, strangers? We really don't know. But since Abram is told to leave his father's house, it would make better sense that Abram left while Terah was still alive.
2024 - Doesn't say Abram was a good man and was chosen because of that to be the father of a great nation through whom the whole world would be blessed. It is almost like the Bible goes to extra trouble so we DON'T think something Abram did put him in this position. He was God's choice and for God's own reasons.
7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. [Gen 12:7 ESV]
As Abram passes through Canaan, God tells him He will give this land to Abram's offspring. Does not say to Abram. So Abram builds an altar here, then another near Bethel. This is the first time God promises land to Abram. The exact dimensions of the land - its extent - is not mentioned here. Abram builds a first altar in Moreh, but he does not encamp there. It says at that time the Canaanites were in the land. It was already occupied. From there, he moves on to Bethel and it is there that he encamps between Bethel and Ai. Bethel on the west, Ai on the east. He builds a second altar here. But again, he does not stay. He goes on, toward the Negeb.
They go to Egypt to escape the famine (sounds familiar!). Abram has Sarai say that she is his sister, lest he be killed and her stolen. Does not say how old she was. She is so beautiful, she is taken into Pharoah's house. This is the wording in every translation I looked at. "Taken into his house". And because Abram's "sister" is in Pharoah's house, Abram is treated well there, and accumulates livestock and servants. But God sends plagues on Pharoah. He is upset that Abram lied, and said she was his sister, else Pharoah would never have taken her into his house. Wonder just how far this went? Doesn't say she did, doesn't say she didn't. But it does say Pharoah took her for his wife. Not just for a servant girl or anything like that. Back in vs. 3 God promised to curse anyone who dishonored Abram. Taking his wife was surely dishonoring, though it was not intentional. In any case, Abram and all he has gets sent away.
This map is copied from Blue Letter Bible. I saw no copyright information about it. I like it because it shows both Ur and Haran, and because the colors indicate how much of "civilization" was on the seacoasts rather than the interior of Arabia and North Africa, but Europe/Near East was settled extensively.